giovedì 26 giugno 2014

The band started in 2002 when guitarist Anas Abd Al-Moumen wrote a few songs combining spoken Arabic “Syrian” Accent with Rock music. Throughout several trials that the band did on performing the songs the Idea of Anas & Friends came as the band that will introduce these songs using several vocalists in each album. The real kick start was in 2006 through the concert in which the band performed songs of “Mahjour” the album that the band released in Syria as Anas & Friends debut album. “Mahjour” included 8 tracks one of them was an instrumental that had the album name. After releasing “Mahjour” the band performed in several major cities in Syria, these performances helped spread the band songs although they were different from the main stream music in Syria as the band popularity began to grow especially among the youth who found in “Mahjour” songs that express the Arabic youth in general and the Syrian youth in particular after the album was distributed in neighbor countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt. Through songs, the band introduces a different listening experience through the many artists involved and especially the vocalists in each album alongside guitarist Anas Abd Al-Moumen which allows more variety and adds more color to the final production of the band in general frame that gives the production its unique lyrical and musical character. In 2011 the band released their second album “Shi yom” which included 10 songs also combining rock music with spoken Arabic-Syrian accent. The album featured artist who sang and played in “Mahjour” beside artists featured in Anas & Friends for the first time in order to stress the band concept in variety and to allow more inputs from various young talents. For Anas & Friends continuity is the major challenge; however, the fact that “Friends” in Anas & Friends is spreading day after day not only to include fellow musicians but to also include people that started with the band as fans and now share their thoughts and inputs about each and every detail in the band productions, makes continuity a fact.

mercoledì 25 giugno 2014

Hicham Ibrahim (DJ Sotusura) is a Palestinian, born in Paris in 1980, with Jordanian and French nationality . He first heard hip-hop music at around the age of ten but really got into it at the age of thirteen, that's when he started performing as a DJ in 1998 while living in Los Angeles, California.

Sotusura has held two radio shows, one on Beat FM in Jordan called Urban Beats and the other is an international hip-hop show called The Art of Rap on a New York-based radio station, Radio 23.

He has opened at numerous concerts, breakdance competitions, poetry events, and underground spots where he is able to perform real hip-hop which he is very passionate about.

He has also performed with many local talents in Jordan and Middle East to encourage/try and push them into the scene. He has performed with great Arab hip-hop talents such as Ramallah Underground, Ragtop, and DAM. He has also opened for other talented artists such as Salah Edin, Cilver Rings, Islam Jawad, Stevie Soul, and Bluebird.

Sotusura has also opened up for major commercial artists such as Sean Paul and Akon in Jordan.

At the beginning of 2013 he made "Al 3arabi Mo5" his first 100% Arabic Hip-Hop Mixtape released on CD

A 1h mix including some of the most talented and influential MC's in the region.such as Boikutt,Deeb,Edd,Al Rass, El Far3i,Khotta Ba,MC Amin,Stormtrap,L'Hamorabi,Satti. Production on the cd is also mostly from artisit in the middle east region,Boikutt,Edd,El-Iqaa,Munma,DJ Lethal Skillz,L'Hamorabi,DJ Solo,Damar,Al Jihaz and more....

martedì 24 giugno 2014

He is a Jordanian Hip Hop MC of Palestinian origin that started writing and performing in 2008 as Khotta Ba (Plan B). In 2012, he released his first album “Al Tatweer Al Hadari” (Urban Development), tackling mostly the socioeconomic struggles of the people of the region due to occupation, urbanization and authoritarianism.

domenica 22 giugno 2014

Recognized around the world as the ambassador of music chaoui, the singer Houria Aichi proposes a work entitled "Renayate" (singers).

It 'a tribute to the great female voices Algerian what gives us the Algerian singer which offers a wide range of genres, regions and generations. Accompanied by a very intimate training (mandola, Oud, Ney, Piano, Percussion), led by Mohamed Abdennour, Houria Aichi interprets these songs armed only of her culture, her imagination and her unique vocal technique. A true statement of defiance conducted using an exceptional vocal strength.

The album includes the Algiers hawzi of Meriem Fekkai and Fadila Dziria, the Oran Rai of Cheikha Rimitti and Fadéla, the Kabyle songs of Chérifa and Djura.

sabato 21 giugno 2014

Avant-garde, experimental and electronic sounds coming from Egypt. Among well-known names and lesser known artists, an overview of the best offers on the Egyptian scene in terms of sound research. A decisive refutation to the accusations of anti modernism related to the Arab world.

venerdì 20 giugno 2014

Sami Rageb was born in Cairo , Egypt, where he began his musical career in 1960 as pianist at the Maxim 's nightclub in Cairo . From there, he played the nightclub circuit until 1965 when he established his famous American band ,"The Knights" which accompanied famous egyptian movie stars and singers and toured Egypt . In 1968 Sami accepted an offer to play organ and piano at several Egypt's top hotels in upper and lower Egypt, amongst which was the famous Nile Hilton Hotel. Before going abroad , he had appeared in all the media.

In 1972 he traveled to Paris where he played in the " Intercontinental Kahlawi-Tunisi band" followed by a solo Egyptian musical engagement at the Cafe Coue Jase located in the famous St Michelle "quartier".

In 1974, Mr. Rageb went to U.S.A. and playd the tabla, accordion,organ and piano professionaly in clubs throughout the country. His talent for improvvisation and sheer musical artistry make him one of the most sought after organists in the Midwest.In the U.S.A.,in the 1978, he recorded his only album, entitled Hyetti ,for the label Mer . One of the most successful songs of the album is "Alf leila," a free and minimalist reinterpretation of the song "Alf Laila wa Laila" of the Egyptian superstar Umm Kalthoum. Sami Ragheb (organ Farisfa) is accompanied by Jerusalem-born percussionist Jamil Shamma (Tabla) and Iraqi Arsham Zakarian (plates and tambourine).

lunedì 16 giugno 2014

Telepoetic is a name that’s floated around if you’ve managed to dig into the Egyptian underground scene. Featuring compelling live drums and all sorts of moody sometimes aggressive, synthesizer and bass sounds, this Alexandrian trio is somehow both driving and introspective.

Formed in 2006 , this band made up of Amir Rizk on drums, Mohamed Desouky on bass, Ahmed Saleh on guitars and synth and occasionally Mohamed El Essawy on saxophone ,pack a powerful,l sonic punch.

Telepoetic's music is a nice melding of acoustic instruments and electronics, its a mixture of different musical backgrounds and experimentations by a trio of musicians and by the clash of their approaches, its a melodic deformed audio material and improvisations walking over a strong tight acoustic construction. If it must be given a genre, you could call Electro Experimental Post-Rock.

Their debut album, Ensehab, has been released by the ever growing Egyptian family at 100Copies record label.

Released in November, 2013,the album is a fusion of electronica and progressive post rock and was referred to by CairoScene.com as: “a solid instrumental effort that takes unexpected turns that make you happy you took the trip”. Telepoetic’s live performances turn into an audiovisual experience, the band often uses light and visual installations to set on a proper mood for its audience.

The band has a big portfolio of live performances in Egypt, at events such as 100LIVE Electronic Music Festival and Dcaf Festival. The band have also shared the stage with various international acts such as Mouse on Mars and Jan Jelinek from Germany, IQBIt from Italy, and Erik Truffaz from France.

martedì 10 giugno 2014

Ahmad Shehadeh/ Kazz (March 21st, 1992) is a poet and rapper who originates from Palestine but resides in Jordan. He is one of the founders of Torabyeh’s project. He was born in 1992 in Saudi-Arabia. He is mostly known for his video song Ghorbeh. Kazz is one of the founders of the creation of an alternative, radical and liberating music that speaks on behalf and truthfully reflects the streets. He worked on Torabyeh’s project, which includes producing its first album (Bonyeh Ta7teyeh) and then a mix tape including the song Ghorbeh. He participated in many workshops and projects. Mostly notably is a project known Sentences on the banks and other activities, and many others. which held place in Darat al Funun. Currently, he is working on a solo project called Kazz AlOmam.

Kazz AlOmam: is an artistic, philosophical and simplistic project that sees more powerful words than riffles as a resisting tool. It depends on a symbolic poetry style in order to highlight its importance in literature as a social and thinking aspect, which rebels from different issues in somewhat a latent way. Also, it’s a project that is a bit distant from reality and its social and political issues, instead it seeks fantasy in which symbols represent the rational meanings and emotions, seeking an unknown ideal world in order to fulfill the spiritual emptiness that it does not posses.

On June 2, 2013, released "Athar alGhorab" the first album of the project Kazz al Oman

venerdì 6 giugno 2014

Hashem L Kelesh is an Egyptian artist, musician ,photographer and filmmaker. He is in his late 20s and has been using online technologies for the production and dissemination of most of his work. He studied art history and musical composition online, on his own. And
he continues to do so, substituting for Egypt's archaic formal art
education programs.

From his flat in suburban Cairo, Kelesh has
also been drawing, painting, making music and posting it all online.
When it came to his street art, he handed out his stencil designs for
others to spray on the city walls.

His inspirations come from
online interactions, and he posts the work on his Facebook page, Tumblr
blog and SoundCloud. The feedback he gets from his growing fan base and
many more who stumble upon his work inspires new work, keeping things
rolling.His work is divided between the graphical and musical production. Working under Zanna Productions, his music is heavily inspired by Aphex Twin and produces under the name HLK, as well as more experimentally under the pseudonym DJIT.

As for graphics production instead his art is sexually provocative and sometimes even a little bit sick. His brilliant, disturbing and unique art ranges from lesbian cunnilingus and anal spreading to female ejaculation.

About his inspirations says : “what inspires me the most is the noise. The crowded roads and the polluted culture. I don’t really do art, I just fool around…art is boring and overrated. It’s not art, it’s nothing. Crap. I just fool around. I sketch, take photos or make noise just for the sake of it. I feel good doing whatever I do and that’s the main concept for my stuff. Also to make fun of people sometimes.”

His performances are not about making delightful music or even making sense, but, rather, providing people with noise that reflects the community we live in.

He has produced music under many titles and featuring many renowned artists as well as budding ones like Aly Talibab (spoken word artist), Abyusif (rapper), Mohamed Adel (composer and guitarist), AC Ghazy (rapper), As Dee (singer and spoken word artist), and Leila (vocals).

Each production, graphic and music, was born in what he calls The Room : “The Room is all I have. It’s a small room, but I work there, I jam there and I sleep there. I don’t have enough money for a studio, so I fixed my bedroom to double as one. Loads of underground artists come over all the time…we work on stuff there or just chill.”

Open to collaborations has created, along with Moe Al Hussainy and Islam Shabana, the "One year project" .

"One year project" is an experimental project in which simply, three Egyptian artists photograph themselves daily and send the portrait to the others, and then everyone does an artwork choosing the medium and the concept. The artworks could be designs, drawings, illustrations, collage...etc.

vagina heart By:H.L.Kelesh

The project will last for a whole year which means 365 experimental artworks for each artist and 1095 artworks as total.

When asked about the current state of the art in Egypt, he replies : “ I don’t really see any art scene in Egypt. It’s mainly about hustling, so thank God I'm not part of it. The art scene in Egypt is dead and if you’re not doing stuff about the revolution then they think you stink. I guess you can still shock some people in Egypt, but I’m more interested in the online art scene. Now that is the shit. It’s a new space that’s way better than the actual scene in Egypt. If you do something and the Egyptian art spaces can’t show your work or don’t like it…screw them, you can always have your space online!”

To learn more about his story and his thoughts you can see the beautiful video interview made ​​by Medrar.TV in which he reflects on the local context in which artists operate be it exhibition opportunities or art education systems.

To get an idea of his photographic work you can visit his Tumblr's page : Hashimation

martedì 3 giugno 2014

Rami Abadir was born in Cairo (1982), he is the former/composer/guitarist of Dusk ; a band which plays rock and blends it with folkloric and several music genres. The band recorded many materials and played it on the radio and live however they are considered inactive since 2009 or more like a studio/recording band. This has opened for him the opportunity to explore other music genres such like : ambient/minimalistic/modern and contemporary classical/avant-garde/electronic/world music. For almost a year he has experimented new instruments, alternative techniques, sounds, synthesizers many jamming session and free improvisation. His works involve phasing technique, ambient music and sounds and focusing in music's texture and timbre.He is relying on Guitar Synth, Synthesizers, sampling, phasing, polyrythmic music to make his unique sound. . His works consist of experimental and ambient electronic music. The mixture of analog and digital synthesizers, drum beats, sampling, repetitive patterns, phasing techniques beside the visual art show is creating a different musical dynamics with more focus on the sound's textures and timbres leading to a unique experimentation. Being interested in modern and contemporary art his works are considered as an open source for art exhibition, visual artists, film makers and dance performances.

Rami Abadir - My Nineties تسعيناتي

Music for the audio/visual show of Mohamed Allam project , My Nineties: A Panorama of Collective Memory Televised .

My Nineties is an art project that addresses the media in era of nineties through an audio-visual performance. The material Allam uses consists of found footage, a documentary film featuring some of the symbols of the media industry of this era, and a book that documents some of what has been already written in the newspapers, magazines and research papers about the television and media in the nineties.